Four Loko being pulled from Quebec shelves

Four Loko, the alcoholic beverage infamously dubbed a 'blackout in a can' in the U.S., is being pulled from the shelves of depanneurs and grocery stores throughout the province.

Embouteillages Solar, the drink's makers in the province, say the move is being made because it contains alcohol which does not come from a malt fermentation process, but rather from ethanol — which makes it ineligible for sale in Quebec stores.

Late last month, Quebec's alcohol and gaming authority (the Régie des Alcools, des Courses et des Jeux) reportedly urged the company to pull 34 of its products, and summoned its officials to a hearing set for later this month.

Aside from Four Loko, the company is also pulling its Baron, Mojo, Octane and Seagram fruit beverages.

Four Loko has been banned in several jurisdictions around the world because of its high alcohol content and its potential for abuse by teens and young adults, with whom it has become wildly popular.

Quebec school boards ran a collective $141 million dollar surplus last year, but the president of the Quebec Federation of School Boards says given that the annual school board budget is $11 billion, the surplus is modest.